Runaway Winners: Most Dominant Regular-Season Conference Kingpins
March 30th, 2019 - 11:30
Last season, Virginia became the first ACC member since Duke in 1999-00 to win the regular-season league title by as many as four games in final standings. The most dominant clubs in conference competition this season came from out West. UC Irvine (Big West) and Gonzaga (WCC) both prevailed by five games.
The SEC is the only power league this decade to have a team finish atop conference standings by at least five games. UCI and Gonzaga are among the following 15 teams to win a DI conference regular-season crown by more than four games this decade (listed in reverse order):
| Season | League Champion (Coach) | Conference | Mark | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | UC Irvine (Russell Turner) | Big West | 15-1 | +5 |
| 2018-19 | Gonzaga (Mark Few) | West Coast | 16-0 | +5 |
| 2017-18 | Buffalo (Nate Oats) | Mid-American/East | 15-3 | +6 |
| 2016-17 | Belmont (Rick Byrd) | Ohio Valley/East | 15-1 | +5 |
| 2014-15 | Murray State (Steve Prohm) | Ohio Valley/West | 16-0 | +6 |
| 2014-15 | Kentucky (John Calipari) | SEC | 18-0 | +5 |
| 2014-15 | New Mexico State (Marvin Menzies) | WAC | 13-1 | +5 |
| 2013-14 | Wichita State (Gregg Marshall) | Missouri Valley | 18-0 | +6 |
| 2013-14 | Murray State (Steve Prohm) | Ohio Valley/West | 13-3 | +5 |
| 2013-14 | Florida (Billy Donovan) | SEC | 18-0 | +6 |
| 2012-13 | Middle Tennessee State (Kermit Davis) | Sun Belt | 19-1 | +5 |
| 2011-12 | Kentucky (John Calipari) | SEC | 16-0 | +6 |
| 2011-12 | Middle Tennessee State (Kermit Davis) | Sun Belt/East | 14-2 | +6 |
| 2010-11 | Utah State (Stew Morrill) | WAC | 15-1 | +5 |
| 2009-10 | Butler (Brad Stevens) | Horizon League | 18-0 | +6 |